From the Ghetto to the Surgical Suite
Have you ever heard of Ben Carson? From a poor African-American boy growing up in the ghettos of Detroit, Michigan, to a world-renowned neurosurgeon, Ben Carson overcame incredible odds beyond what most people will ever face.
He was born in Detroit, where his childhood journey was filled with poverty. He struggled with poor grades and a violent temper. His mother, who only had a third-grade education, constantly challenged him to strive for excellence. Ben rose from the bottom to the top of his class. His achievements earned him academic scholarships to college and medical school.
Today, Dr. Ben Carson is director of pediatric neuro-surgery at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland. He is world-renowned for leading a medical team that separated West German conjoined twins in 1987. He is also credited with leading a team of South African doctors in the first successful separation of vertically conjoined twins in 1997.
Dr. Carson holds numerous honors and awards, including more than 20 honorary doctorate degrees. He is a member of the board of directors of the Kellogg Company, honored by the Horatio Alger Society, as well as a fellow of the Yale Corporation, the governing body of Yale University.
Dr. Carson's remarkable story is told in his first book, Gifted Hands. THINK BIG, his second book, encourages others to develop their intellectual potential. His latest book, The Big Picture, offers an up-close look at a professional surgeon's life, together with his unique perspective on priorities, race, society, success, and living out a life of faith in a complex world. He travels globally to share his knowledge and philosophy with the hope of inspiring people of all ages and educational backgrounds to be-and do-their best.
Is Ben Carson the lucky exception to the rule? Let's find out.
Jason and Matthew versus Goliath
Early in 1994, twin brothers Jason and Matthew Olim began creating CDnow.com, an Internet music store. Working in their parent's basement, on a shoestring budget, they competed against Fortune 500 companies with millions of dollars to spend...and won. In 1997 CDnow.com earned almost three times as much as its nearest rival, and owned one third of the online music business. From first month revenues of $387 in August of 1994, the company grew to sales of $16.4 million in 1997, and currently enjoys over $100 million in annual revenues.
Inspiring Billionaire
Born in 1950, Richard Branson grew up in a traditional family and received his education at Stowe School. While there, at the age of sixteen, he established a national magazine entitled, Student. By seventeen, he had started a Student Advisory Centre aimed at helping young, troubled teens.
At the age of twenty, he founded Virgin as a mail order record retailer. A short while later, he opened a record shop on Oxford Street, London. In 1972, a recording studio was built in Oxfordshire where the first Virgin artist, Mike Oldfield, recorded "Tubular Bells," later released in 1973.
That first album on Virgin Records went on to sell more than five million copies. At the age of 27, Richard signed The Sex Pistols to Virgin Records after the group was turned down by every major label in Great Britain.
Over the years, he signed many superstar names including Steve Winwood, Paula Abdul, Belinda Carlisle, Genesis, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Simple Minds, The Human League, Bryan Ferry, Culture Club, Janet Jackson, and The Rolling Stones. As is evident, Branson managed to turn the Virgin Music Group into a giant success.
In 1992, the Virgin Music Group-record labels, music publishing and recording studios-was sold to Thorn EMI in a $1 billion US deal.
The interests of Virgin Group have since expanded into international "Megastore" music retailing, books and software publishing, film and video editing facilities. In addition, Virgin now has clubs and hotels throughout 100 companies in 15 countries.
Virgin Atlantic Airways, started in 1984, is now the second largest British long haul international airline. It operates a fleet of Boeing 747 aircraft to New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Orlando, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas, and Tokyo.
The airline was founded on the concept of offering competitive and high quality first class and economy services. The airline holds many major airline awards and recently earned "Airline of the Year Award" for the third consecutive year.
In 1993, the combined sales of Virgin Group Companies exceeded $1 billion US. In addition to his own business activities, Branson is a trustee of several charities. These include The Healthcare Foundation, a leading healthcare charity responsible for the launch of a health education campaign named Parents Against Tobacco. This organization is aimed at limiting tobacco advertisements and sponsorships in sports.
Since 1985, Branson, while actively engaged in his vocations, has also been involved in a number of record-breaking land and air speed and distance attempts. In 1986, his boat, "Virgin Atlantic Challenger II," rekindled the spirit of the Blue Riband by crossing the Atlantic Ocean in the fastest recorded time ever.
One year later, the hot air balloon called the "Virgin Atlantic Flyer," was the first hot air balloon ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It was the largest ever flown at 2.3 million cubic feet capacity, reaching speeds in excess of 130 mph.
In 1991, Branson crossed the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Arctic Canada, the furthest distance of 6,700 miles. Again he broke all existing records with speeds of up to 245 mph in a balloon measuring 2.6 million cubic feet.
Branson admits that his success is simply in "believing that I can do what others believe they cannot do." Branson's key is a powerful attitude.
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